KUALA LUMPUR, June 6 (Bernama)-- Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) together with PINTAR Foundation, have rolled out the Kembara #mydigitalmaker initiative to provide exposure for some 100,000 students in rural, sub-urban and underprivileged schools.

Supported by the Ministry of Education, the Kembara #mydigitalmaker in collaboration with PINTAR, an organisation that spearheads school adoption programmes, aims to expose the target groups which include teachers, parents, and local communities in rural areas to digital making content and tools, said MDEC in a statement.

Deputy Education Minister Datuk P Kamalanathan said,At the rate digital ecosystems are accelerating, careers in digital technology will soon be a large part of Malaysia´s future, and filling these highly sought-after positions will be talents that are digital economy ready."

"The key approach to building a nation of digital makers begins with creating opportunities for students - wherever they may be - and equipping our educators to nurture and polish these untapped talents," he was quoted as saying at the launch of a #mydigitalmaker Model School at SMK Kompleks KLIA recently.

He said the ministry had trained nearly 20,000 teachers to effectively deliver the new computational thinking and computer science module integrated into the curriculum this year.

COMPUTATIONAL THINKING

"We are confident that the teachers are well-equipped to cultivate computational thinking leading to higher order thinking skills amongst our students. In years to come, more teachers will be trained in collaboration with MDEC, universities and other industry partners, said Kamalanathan.

MDEC Chief Executive Officer Datuk Yasmin Mahmood said Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR is a bus, customised to fit a range of exciting digital making tools as well as information about future digital technology careers and the safe usage of digital technology.

The bus will travel to most states throughout Peninsular Malaysia exposing students, teachers and local communities from rural, suburban and underserved schools to digital making opportunities, tools and content, she said, adding that the unit was expected to reach 100,000 students over a period of two years.

Yasmin said MDEC was currently in partnership with numerous strategic partners and universities to foster a digital maker ecosystem to provide project-based learning opportunities via co-curricular activities, digital maker hubs and competitions.

These companies offer expertise in digital innovation and creativity, tools and teaching materials as well as resources to host digital maker hubs, she added.

She also urged all Malaysians to support its future generation in embracing digital innovation and technology through the #mydigitalmaker movement. For more information, visit https://www.mdec.my/mydigitalmaker.

“Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR” is an initiative supported by MoE

This initiative is an extension of the #mydigitalmaker movement launched in 2016 to transform Malaysia’s youths from digital consumers to digital producers

The #mydigitalmaker bus will expose students across Peninsular Malaysia to digital technologies, future digital-tech careers and safe use of digital technologies

KUALA LUMPUR, 23 May 2017 – Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) together with PINTAR Foundation, an organisation that spearheads school adoption programmes, rolled out a mobile learning unit under the national #mydigitalmaker initiative with the mission of creating exposure and opportunities to digital education for some 100,000 students in rural, sub-urban and underprivileged schools.

Supported by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE), the mobilisation of “Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR” aims to expose students, teachers, parents, and local communities in rural Malaysia to digital making content and tools. This will ultimately steer students’ interests in digital making and later develop a more concrete understanding of digital technology and its exciting future.

“At the rate digital ecosystems are accelerating, careers in digital technology will soon be a large part of Malaysia’s future; and filling these highly sought-after positions will be talents that are digital economy ready. To achieve this, it is important that we look at the very foundation of our future – our children and educators today. The key approach to building a nation of digital makers begins with creating opportunities for students – wherever they may be – and equipping our educators to nurture and polish these untapped talents. We have trained close to 20,000 teachers to effectively deliver the new computational thinking and computer science module integrated into the curriculum this year. We are confident that the teachers are well-equipped to cultivate computational thinking leading to higher order thinking skills amongst our students. In years to come, more teachers will be trained in collaboration with MDEC, universities and other industry partners.”

“To echo our Prime Minister at the launch of #mydigitalmaker last year, we want to mobilise this generation of young people with the drive, confidence and know-how, so that they can be the ‘makers’ of their own technology and innovations we have yet to imagine. The “Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR” is a brilliant continuation of this national ICT-education initiative, and the Ministry of Education applauds this joined effort between MDEC and PINTAR Foundation for exposing to students and educators all over Malaysia to similar opportunities.” said Dato’ P Kamalanathan, Deputy Minister 1, Ministry of Education Malaysia at the launch ceremony at SMK Kompleks KLIA, a #mydigitalmaker Model School.

“Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR” is a bus, customised to fit a range of exciting digital making tools as well as information about future digital technology careers and the safe usage of digital technology. The bus will travel to most states throughout Peninsular Malaysia exposing students, teachers and local communities from rural, suburban and underserved schools to digital making opportunities, tools and content. The unit is expected to reach 100,000 students over a period of 2 years.

Digital technology corporations such as Microsoft Malaysia, Google Malaysia, DiGi Telecommunications, Sasbadi, Designex3D, Cytron Technologies, Janalima, Centillion Robotics, Acestar and Maker21 are among the industry partners that will be showcasing learning modules and content covering robotics, creative animation, virtual reality, apps development, cyber safety as well as 3D printing and modelling in the mobile learning unit. Volunteers will also be despatched to guide and help students understand the vast ecosystem of digital technology, and facilitate the introduction of Digital Maker co-curricular activities via school clubs, and Digital Maker Hubs in local communities.

“Today, digital innovation is reinventing all sectors and changing the job landscape. To ensure Malaysia remains competitive in the local and global scene, it is vital that we equip our young with essential digital skills so they are ready for the future ‘digital workforce’ and to embrace global digital opportunities. Creating a nation of digital makers requires concerted efforts from industry players and academia, which brings us to this milestone today. We are pleased to cement a partnership with PINTAR Foundation in supporting this outreach; and we thank all our strategic partners for their contribution in “Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR” and for their instrumental role in helping to transform our children from digital users to digital producers,” said Dato’ Yasmin Mahmood, Chief Executive Officer, MDEC.

MDEC is currently in partnership with numerous strategic partners and universities to foster a digital maker ecosystem to provide project-based learning opportunities via co-curricular activities, digital maker hubs and competitions. These companies offer expertise in digital innovation and creativity, tools and teaching materials as well as resources to host Digital Maker Hubs.

The #mydigitalmaker partnership ecosystem is an across-the-board initiative that follows the students throughout their education years. From exposure to computational thinking and computer science concepts in primary and secondary schools, MDEC through its industry and academia partners further create avenues for students to pursue tertiary courses related to digital technology careers. Beyond career awareness, MDEC and its partners are also future proofing talents by providing internship placements during school holidays and potential scholarships to support tertiary studies in digital technology courses.

“We are focused on making a difference in the lives of students in underserved communities by promoting education through creative, innovative and mentally stimulating methods. When the opportunity rose to collaborate with MDEC and extend the outreach of “Kembara #mydigitalmaker bersama PINTAR”, we were excited to be on board as we knew the difference it would make to expose rural and suburban students to the rich and rewarding outlooks of digital technology. While school curriculum is important in shaping young minds, introducing a different approach through informal learning will certainly provide the boost our education system needs to give the future generation a competitive edge in an increasing technological and digital world,” said Encik Sabri Ab Rahman, Board of Trustee Member for PINTAR Foundation.

#mydigitalmaker movement is a public-private-academia partnership to create a nation of Digital Makers. This movement aims to transform Malaysian youth from digital users to makers in the digital economy by infusing digital competencies into the formal school curriculum and complementing it with co-curricular digital maker activities.

Since January 2017, Computational Thinking has been integrated into the new Standard Based Curriculum for Primary (KSSR) and Standard Based Curriculum for Secondary (KSSM) as a part of the agenda spearheaded by the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE), and supported by MDEC. The integration of Computational Thinking and Computer Science is benefitting all primary schools nationwide, while Basic Computer Science and Computer Science are being offered as elective subjects at around 50% of secondary schools at the moment. By 2020, all school students are expected to expose to computational thinking and computer science concepts.

This workshop’s objective is to enable students to acquire beginner’s maker and coding skills, and to learn about artificial intelligence in a fun way. Through this initiative, IBM and MDEC aim to strengthen the students’ problem solving skills and expand their level of creativity.

“It is gratifying to see students team build their own robots while learning and exploring technology. Technology is all about keeping experiments going and coming up with something truly life-changing for the world and the community. By exposing students to coding, robotics and artificial intelligence, we are preparing them for the future where digital technology is disrupting businesses. It was great to see the commitment from MDEC towards the #mydigitalmaker initiative to skill up youth in the ecosystem,” David Raper, Lead, corporate citizenship, IBM Asia Pacific and Greater China Group, said.

The IBM TJBot is an open-source project and a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) kit that allows anyone to build their own programmable cardboard robots powered by Watson. The cardboard cut-out can be 3D printed or laser cut, fitted with Raspberry Pi boards and a variety of add-ons such as RGB LED light, a microphone, a servo motor, and a camera.

To bring TJ Bots to life, students referred to a number of ‘recipes’; which are step-by-step instructions to help them connect the TJBots to Watson services. Watson will then interpret and process the voice commands received via the microphone before prompting the robots to perform the commands. The recipes are designed to work on a Raspberry Pi and Makers are encouraged to try and create their own recipes based on their ideas and creativity.

“The #mydigitalmaker team are committed in coaching the younger generation and teachers with the correct education plans and effective workshops so that they can embrace technology as a skillset and be digital-ready in this digital economic future. This will help empower our younger generation to be trained problem solvers and their ideas soon will benefit the society and fuel the nation’s digital economy,” said Sumitra Nair, Vice President, Talent & Digital Entrepreneurship Division, MDEC.

The IBM Watson Maker Workshop is one of several IBM’s corporate social responsibility efforts in support of #mydigitalmaker movement to transform Malaysian youth from digital users to producers in the digital economy. This includes skills such as coding, app development, 3D printing, robotics, embedded programming and data analytics; all of which will ultimately help to strengthen problem solving and creativity amongst future generations.